Cohen joins PC as director of multicultural student affairs

Oct. 17, 2006

Dr. Rodney Cohen has joined Presbyterian College's Department of Student Life as the school's new director of multicultural student affairs.

Cohen, a native of Atlanta, Ga., joined the college staff on Oct. 2 following a nationwide search for the individual who will lead PC's programs for and in support of multicultural students.

A graduate of Clark College (now Clark Atlanta University), Cohen earned a masters of arts in education, higher education and student affairs from Western Kentucky University and earned his doctor of education degree in higher education administration and institutional advancement from Vanderbilt University's Peabody College.

His professional experience includes service as director of development for the college of education and behavioral science at Western Kentucky University, director of corporate relations at Fisk University, senior development officer at North Carolina A&T State University's college of engineering, director of development at the school of allied health sciences at the University of Texas Medical Branch, and director of academic programs and outreach at the University of Notre Dame.

A former Eagle Scout, Cohen was a Rowland Scholar at Clark College and, in 1999, was presented the Western Kentucky University Alumni Association Award for outstanding achievement in the establishment of the Society of African American Alumni. In addition, Cohen also has taught at Notre Dame and is the author of two books, Fisk University and The Black Colleges of Atlanta.

"Dr. Cohen's blend of personal and professional experiences, his personality, and his obvious enthusiasm for higher education and college students are a perfect fit for PC," said Dr. Bill McDonald, vice president for student life. "I really look forward to working with him and I know our students, faculty, and staff are going to enjoy getting to know him and working with him also."

Having worked and studied at several large institutions, Cohen said the relationship between college and student at PC was a promising draw to his new job and duties.

"One of the appeals is the hands-on interaction with students and also the interconnectedness of students, faculty, and staff," he said. "It's a manageable size in which much of what you do is very visible in terms of impact Ð not just on students but also the immediate community."

At a school like PC, he explained, people who work with students can apply their ideas and see almost instant results and, more importantly, develop relationships with students. Even larger schools, he said, have recognized the importance of working with students one-on-one or in small groups to help them develop into well-rounded individuals.

"I think one of the things I bring to the table is bridge-building," he said. "I'm able to understand different sectors of the academy and involve myself with those different sectors Ð the staff, the faculty, and also the students and the community Ð and link all those things together and serve as a liaison."

"I also have a healthy interest in research myself on the scholarly side of the academy and I have a high level of enthusiasm for student development in academia."

Cohen said he also hopes to utilize his advancement experience development relationships with multicultural alumni, as he did recently during a meeting of PC's African-American Alumni Association.

"We live in an era now where it's a natural development towards a pluralistic society," he said. "That's where we are now and we have to be educated, not in a punitive sense, but in order to live in a well-rounded, sophisticated society. One of the things I sought to do was that I literally sought out differences because I wanted to expand my horizons in terms of my exposure and my education in dealing with different types of people Ð from a racial perspective or socio-economic perspective or geographical perspective."

As he meets members of the PC community, Cohen said he already sees great things in the future.

"It appears the students and everyone in the community are very involved," he said. "They're very diverse in terms of their interests. I think it's a good time to be here both as a professional and for students, too. "